Sunday, October 31, 2004

Pictures from the Hike

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Just a note to tell you that I have added pictures from the hike to my pictures link... they are beautiful pictures!! We had the most fun on the hike yesterday. It was a beautiful day for a hike... it was mid to upper 70's and it was partly sunny for most of the hike. (In the last mile it did sprinkle but we didn't mind at all). We ended up going about 13 miles and were in the woods for about 8 hours. Needless to say I am very sore today!!

The Amicalola Falls were absolutely beautiful and I took quite a few pictures of the falls. The falls were in the first mile of the approach to the Appalachian Trail. We ended up walking up the back side of the falls so we saw very little of the falls on our way in. We did go to the top and saw the view from the top. We then walked about 5 miles of the approach to the Appalachian Trail. We then circled to a lodge where we stopped and ate our packed lunch. We then followed the lodge path back to the falls and then walked down the front of the Amicalola Falls. The most difficult part was the approach to the Appalachian Trail because it went up and down all of the hills instead of walking around them... but it all was a lot of fun!!

We are looking to go back to the trail and hike from the lodge to the beginning of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain in a few weeks. The path from the lodge to Springer Mountain is about the same distance as the waterfall to the lodge so we would be able to do the path from the lodge to Springer Mountain and back in one day. If we were to start where we did yesterday it would be a good 2 day walk from the falls to Springer Mountain.

Enjoy looking at the pictures... I sure enjoyed taking them!!

Friday, October 29, 2004

(Quick) Update

I have added pictures to my link and I love this camera (one of my roomates)... the pictures came out beautifully!!! P.S. you will want to look in the In the ATL folder.

I am planning on taking the camera with us on the hike... maybe I will be able to add some of those as well.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

So, I probably will not update this thing again until Monday so... Happy Halloween!!


Tomorrow I am planning on going hiking with my roomates. We are looking at going to the Amicalola Falls. It should be a lot of fun!!

Thursday, October 28, 2004

Travis Tritt

Well, I found out something interesting for all you country fans... I found out that Travis Tritt grew up in the county that I now live in. There is a road down here called Travis Tritt highway that is (obviously) named after him... silly me, I had driven by the "highway" (2 laned road) before but didn't put that together! Oh well, a little tidbit of trivia!

Last night I went to the gym... when I walked in my trainer and the doctor were sitting right at the front entry way so I talked to them for a little while... they are really nice people... we discussed my neck and things that I should be doing to help make it stronger and to help get rid of the pain. I will probably work with the doctor for a little while in getting my neck stronger so I don't hurt it again.

Did anyone else look at the eclipse last night?? It was pretty cool to see... it turned all red. I was watching the Red Sox game last night and would go outside to see all the phases of the eclipse... very cool!!

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Weekend fun!

On Thursday night I went to work out at the gym... I did about 2 weight exercises and my neck and head started to really hurt... my head started to throb and got really hot and I felt like I was going to pass out. Now, I had felt much less but somewhat similar pain before when working out but it was a lot less and after a minute or two of sitting it didn't really hurt anymore and I could move on. Only one time did it hurt long term but that was only for a few hours and then the pain went away. So, I tried to do another exercise but the pain was too much so I decided to leave... but before I left I stopped to my trainer and told him the pain I had been feeling... he wanted me to come in the next day and see the chiropractor but I had to work all day and I was going to North Carolina the next day to see some of the mountains and to do some gemstone mining (something I hadn’t done before). So the trainer stated he would talk with the chiropractor and he just wanted me to call in to see what he said.

I drove home and on the way my head started hurting so bad that tears just started flowing, I started to feel dizzy, and as the night went on the pain got much worse. I couldn’t find a comfortable position to lie down, I was taking medication, and I was just in pain. I was lucky because one of my roommates went out and got me some stronger medication and a heating pad for my neck. The combo made it so I could at least sleep part of the night.

The next morning the alarm went off and I opened my eyes and thought… hmm… it doesn’t hurt so bad… and then I sat up. All the pain came rushing back!! So, I took a shower and then tried to get ready for work but the pain was just too much. I called my trainer back and surprisingly he answered the phone (it was about 6:00am) and said that the chiropractor wasn’t scheduled to be in until 9:00 but he was going to find out if he could come in earlier. I then called my manager and let him know that at best I was going to be to work late… when my trainer got back to me he stated that he couldn’t get a hold of the chiropractor but he would be in at 9am… I stated that I would be too.

I was there at 9am and started talking to them, and then chiropractor did some testing and cracking and stated that I had pulled most of the muscles in the back of my neck. He stated that I should ice it (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off), take medication if necessary and he gave me a few stretches to do daily. My head was still in so much pain that I decided that I would just take the rest of the day off sick and ice my neck like crazy… the last thing I wanted to do with my headache was deal with crabby people!!

For the next few hours I slept (since I really didn’t sleep well then night before) and iced my neck. By 3:00pm I decided that I still wanted to go up to N. Carolina (I asked the doctor and he said it would be fine to go) so I got my stuff together and met one of my roommates at their work and we drove up… we met their parents up there and found a hotel room and I continued to ice the whole weekend but on Saturday morning my neck finally started feeling better (but I continued to take Tylenol because my head was still sore).

Saturday we went gemstone mining… it was definitely a different experience (probably similar to panning for gold. We had planned on going to one mine (Sheffield – I think was the name of the place) but after going to the town’s information center and talking to the guy behind the counter we decided to go to Rose Creek (I think that was the name… again… I am so terrible at remembering names). It was closer but we missed the road to the place so we ended up going a ways out of our way… it wasn’t a big deal though because we were in the foothills of the mountains and the leaves on the trees were turning color so it was actually quite pretty.

When we got there we learned how to “mine” for our gemstones. They had a shed that they had brought a mix of dirt, clay and mud to, we filled our buckets full of dirt and then sat down by some water with a sifter and sifted the mix thru the water and there would be some gemstones still in the sifter. It was kinda cool to see all the dirt and then to remove it and see some very pretty stones… some were large, most were small but all were a lot of fun to see come out of the dirt!! We were there for a few hours but after a while it gets tough on your back and hands (some of the clay and mud was hard to sift out).

There was also a Pumpkin Festival going on so we decided to check that out… it ended up being a few booths of arts and crafts, 1 folk style band and a few food booths… we got there about 4:30 and it ended at 5:00… but by that time we were all pretty hungry so we found a restaurant, and then went back to the hotel room. There was a swimming pool in the hotel so we all went down there.

In all it was a very fun weekend… and seeing all the color was so beautiful… so much so that we are hoping to go hiking in the Georgia Mountains this weekend… hopefully the weather will cooperate!! It has been pretty nice down here weather wise though!!

I did take a few pictures over the weekend... once I figure out how to get them off the camera I will add them to my link!

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Dave and Busters

Last night I went with one of my roommates to Dave and Busters and we were going with some other people from their work. I have been there before and it is basically an adult arcade but also has a restaurant and bar in it. Last time I was there I had a lot of fun... well, like most places in Atlanta their work staggers hours of operation for all the people so we sat at the bar and waited for everyone to get there. By the time the majority of the people got there it was after 8:00pm and we were so hungry and we just found out that Dave and Busters doesn't take reservations so we would be waiting a while for a table for the amount of people that we had. My roommate and I were so hungry we decided that we would just go and eat... we were seated at a table and waiting for about 15 minutes and the whole time we were sitting there we didn't see a waiter... not that they just didn't come to our table, we didn't even see them walk by... so we decided it was time to go.

We left there and went to Joe's Crab Shack. It was a very cute place to eat and I know they have them all over... but it was my first time going to one. The only problem was most of the food is fried so I ended up getting chicken... but it was very tasty (and they got our food out to us fairly quickly which was a huge plus since we were so hungry)!!

Even though we had to wait for food for so long it was a very fun night!! It was also very cool to meet some more new people!!

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

The Diva Prayer...

I got this from a friend of mine here at work and thought it was hilarious!! Enjoy!!

The Diva Prayer...

Armani
Who Art in Neiman's
Hollowed by thy shoes
Thy Prada come
Thy Shopping done
On Rodeo
As it is in Paris
Give us this day, Our Visa Gold
And forgive us our balance
As we forgive those who charge us interest
Lead us not into Penny's
And deliver us from Sear's
For thine is the Chanel, the Gaultier and the Versace
For Dolce and Gabbana

Amex

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Allergies

I can tell it is the change of seasons... as it gets colder out I like to have more blankets on the bed... and I pull out all the sweaters that have been in hiding... but pulling it all out means that I am bringing with it about 6 months of dust... Ugh... alleregies are back. Funny thing is... it still really isn't too cold here... just cold enough to get the change of seasons started.

Welcome to Tuesday... thunderstorms are in the forecast for today and I don't remember where I last put my umbrella. I may need to look for it at lunch (hopefully it is in my car). I get made fun of every once in a while because it is bright pink and quite small (hey, I have had it since I was 8) but it still keeps the rain off my head (that is when I can find it)!

I am hoping to get my hair cut soon... I am growing the dye out of my hair so I have cut my hair short and am trying to get it cut regularly. The last time I got it cut was a few months ago. The only problem is I don't have a salon that I like to go to here yet... have to keep looking I guess!

PS... thanks Mom and Jason for the comments!!

Monday, October 18, 2004

Comments, again.

When I changed my background to the Halloween one the comments section went away... must have been that the template just didn't add the comment section... so, after a little bit of research, I have found a way to add the comments back in. Enjoy!!

Sunday, October 17, 2004

24 Hours of Adrenaline

Yesterday a couple of my roomates went out. We ate at a place called Eats... it Jamaican... I had chicken (took off the skin which was very spicy), broccoli and corn bread... it was very inexpensive and very good.

The bike race called (24 Hours of Adrenaline) was a lot of fun... it actually started off kinda boring. We got there (it was on the complete other side of Atl... so like 2 hours away) around 5:00 (after doing some shopping). One of my roommates knew one of the guys on the team and one of the helpers. The team had 4 people on it and they race for 24 hours. It started at noon on Saturday and ended at noon today. Each racer took turns doing an 8 mile loop that elevated about 1000 feet on granite, rock, and then some level places... needless to say... very difficult. There were some people who were solo riders who were doing the whole 24 hours by themselves (there is no way I could do that)!!

Anyway, we couldn't find the people that we knew right away so we just sat for about 45 minutes at the ending gate. I was starting to get bored and thirsty. I didn't know anyone coming across the finish lane and it was a flat section... So, we started walking around and found the rider that we knew. He told us that we could try to walk around the course (which went back into the woods and curved all over) and find a different place to watch. Also, at one of the check points was the guy who was helping that we knew... we could try to find him. We also ran into another guy that we knew... so the 4 of us (2 roommates, me, and the guy we ran into) decided to find the check point. It ended up being a very cool walk and the check point was about a mile walk - maybe a little more). The start and finish of the race was in an equestrian park... so all around were places that people could take their horses and do jumps and whatnot that we walked by... there was also a golf course that was on the edge. We winded around to the check point which was on the top of a very narrow path up a steep granite hill. We watched from there for over an hour (from about 6:30 or a little after until 8:00pm) in that time only 3 people made it successfully up the hill without having to walk... and there were approximately 600 riders total doing the race. By 8:00 it was extremely dark but we were able to make it back to the car around 9:00 pm. We had a lot of fun.

Today is pretty much a day to relax... went to the gym, got some groceries, now I am going to make dinner and do some laundry... ok maybe not relax... but get everything done around the house!

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Cold!

It has been cold the last few days!! So... thinking that cold is really quite a relative term so I decided to look it up on weather.com:

61°F
Partly Cloudy
UV Index: 6 High
Dew Point: 51°F
Humidity: 70%
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Pressure: 29.75 inches and falling
Wind: Variable at 5 mph


Lol... but, truly, it's starting to feel like Fall... although it is still all green outside!!

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Another update...

I have added the link to my Uncle's web site... you can take a look at his as well!!

Updated...

So, I have gotten my blog ready for Halloween... I have been searching (in between work calls of course) for a good Halloween background... and this is the only Halloween background I found... it has been a fun project this morning and has been keeping me busy between calls and luckily I think it is a cute background!! As per the license agreement... I have the link to the blog where I got the background in my list of links... take a look if you want!

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Columbus Day...

I am guessing quite a few people had the day off yesterday for Columbus Day because my drive into work was so quick yesterday... opposite of what normally occurs on a Monday. It actually only took me 45 minutes yesterday... as opposed to over an hour today... gotta love the city driving!!

I went to the gym last night to get my daily routine in and there was a blood drive going on. So, I did my workout and then gave blood to the American Red Cross. Funny how after giving blood you aren't supposed to get the area wet for 5 hours and they really stress you should take it easy. I understand that they don't want you to run a marathon but I don't get the get it wet part. Oh well, I guess.

Monday, October 11, 2004

The weekend

I went out on Saturday to PF Changs with all of my roommates... it was a very nice Chinese Bistro... yum!! Check out the website if you want to see more about the place... but after that we went to a used bookstore... I do love bookstores but hardly ever buy books... generally I am more of a library kinda girl. But they are still so much fun to go to!!

Also, the guys wanted to go to Best Buy... and there was a Linen store right next to it. I have been wanting a candle holder where you put the tea light in the bottom and a scent on top. I used to have one before I moved down and I loved it before. I was able to get one there as well as a few scents. I burned a few this weekend!!

I also went mall shopping this weekend... fun!! Express and the Limited had sales going on... the sales are generally so good and I can find a lot of nice clothes fairly inexpensively, so I was willing to drive quite a ways to go to the mall. I got a few of my roommates together and we went to the mall that I like because it has a good cinema and it is pretty nice... I just assumed that both stores were there but ended up being, I think, the only mall in this whole area that had neither store. I was able to go to another mall to shop and this mall did have both stores. Unfortunately there wasn't as much as normal on sale but I did find a few good shirts.

Friday, October 08, 2004

And that's Chicago...

I had the most fun last night!!! We went out for dinner at Pappadeaux before the show... yum! That place has the greatest food... and I love the way it is decorated. We then went downtown to watch the show.

The Fox was absolutely beautiful... still done in a very old style. We sat on the main floor in the middle so we were under the second floor. During the intermission I went to the stage and was able to see the ceiling... it was done very Arabian and the ceiling was a gorgeous blue and it looked like it has stars in it.

I loved the show. I have seen the movie so many times and I have even watched it with the commentary on a few times so I had heard the directors talk about the process of taking the musical and turning it into a movie. In the commentary they discussed some of the musical... and that made the whole show even funnier to me!! It was absolutely hilarious and there wasn't a part I didn't enjoy. It was absolutely fabulous!!

Thursday, October 07, 2004

CHICAGO

Tonight I am going to see the musical Chicago... I am so very excited... will let you know how it went tomorrow.

___

A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Christmas Vacation

I have gotten all of my arrangements together for the Engelhardt Christmas Party. I am taking a half day off on that Friday and heading out about 4:00pm... I should be in town about 6:00pm. Can't wait to see you all (or... y'all)!!

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Another good quote...

Thought this quote was a good one for a busy professional but if you own your own business it probably wouldn't work ;-)~

"In order to appear busy, one should pace around the office clutching files. ... The best part of this ancient ritual is that it tends to make one's colleagues look away - just in case you and your papers are going to interrupt their own lassitude." Is Slacking the Only Way to Survive the Office?; The Scotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland); Aug 16, 2004.

Monday, October 04, 2004

Supersize Me

This last weekend a friend of the house stopped by and we watched the movie Supersize Me. It was definitely eye opening as to why all the junk food that we eat makes us so fat. Especially since so often I will eat the junk and then just sit around... not a good combo!! But, I still think, even after watching that movie, that so many people just want to blame things like their weight on something besides themselves... and I think that is ridiculous. Self responsibility is what should occur. Anyway... without getting any more into it... it was a good movie... glad I watched it. (If you want to see a link of the movie click on the title).

Speaking of junk food... here is another first. I had Krystal's for the first time last weekend. Krystal's is a southern fast food chain that I guess is something like White Castle (although I haven't been there that is what I heard). It was alright as far as fast food goes.

Saturday, October 02, 2004

Night at the Fair...

We all decided to go to the fair at about 7:00 last night... and we had the most fun... although it really didn't start out that way.

It is only about a half hour drive away... and really that is how long it actually took to do the drive... Unfortunately we had to wait another hour to get a parking spot. And that spot ended up being a good mile from the actual fair. Needless to say, we were all pretty crabby from the wait but looking back it ended up being worth the wait!!

So, after we finally parked and did the trek to the fair we were all pretty excited to see what this whole event was about. There was so much to see, rides with all the flashing lights, carneys, food stands, concerts in the rodeo section, hyponistists, palm readers, booths selling trinkets, and the area where they judged the plants, flowers, canned goods, and what not. We ended up eating a little bit, watching the concert (which was Jars of Clay), laughing at the hyponistist, and watching the strength test game that they have at all the fairs. It was so much fun we were there for a few hours.

One thing that I noticed was there was no beer tent. I guess that I am so used to having the beer tent at all the festivals it just caught me as funny... just an observation.

Friday, October 01, 2004

North Georgia State Fair

Tonight I am going to the Georgia State Fair with 2 of my roommates... I am very excited to be going. I have passed it every night on my way to work for the last week and it looks like so much fun.

I was able to car pool today to work with one of my roommates... it was very nice. It definitely helped keep me awake on my ride in. But, with all of the working out we have been doing I am still extremely tired. Good thing its Friday... I can relax this weekend!!

_____

Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. --P. J. O'Rourke
_____

Ok... so, I just finished reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It is definitely suspensful with a new twist with every turn of each page. It also hits on some very controversial Church related information. For those of you who haven't read the book I will not say anything regarding what the book is about... If you have read it... let me know what you think.